The Prince and The Cobbler
by FairyNiamh
Summary: After his ball Derek seeks out a certain cobbler with a familiar shoe. Really? Stiles is no Cinderella!


As the midnight hour struck, the young man in Prince Derek's arms fled the ball without so much as leaving his name. Not that it truly mattered, Derek knew who he had been entertaining, even if the event was a masquerade ball.

He knew that scent and those mischievous eyes from anywhere since he had pined lusted for the younger man from afar for oh so many years. 'Afar' being the key word in that sentence. The young man's father had been sheriff in the valley below and worked hard to keep the area safe.

When Derek had informed his Uncle of his unrequited love for the boy, naturally the older man threw everything out of proportion and announced to the Hale matriarch that Derek was ready to choose a mate.

As was family tradition, his mother invited all the young unmated maidens to the ball. Peter, of course, strongly hinted that perhaps they were inviting the wrong half of the population or perhaps they should invite both sexes. Honestly, Peter was evil and if Derek had enough courage he would have told his mother that the ball was not needed because Derek was… he could not even finish the sentence in his own mind. Whatever, the ball happened and he got to dance with the man of his dreams. So it was all good. Right?

Naturally his family had been all a flutter and demanded to know if the young man had introduced himself formally; which' no', he had not. Derek couldn't just announce that he already knew who the man was, so he rushed out the doors as if he was giving chase. Derek had known that he would never be able to catch him. The younger man was swift and as agile as a frightened deer.

Derek realized that he would be the victim of a pity party if he returned inside without even a hint as to the young man's identity, he grabbed a large high heeled shoe that had just been sitting on the stairs.

When he came inside he held the large(ish) high heel close to his chest and declared to his family, "I will marry whomever fits this shoe," while silently he added 'As long as his name is Stiles.' They did not need to know his future Fiancé's name - yet.

"I thought he was wearing flat shoes and I'm pretty sure those are several sizes too small for your young man" Laura narrowed her eyes and gave a knowing smirk.

Damned bitch was always too clever by half. "I'll find him and prove you wrong," he announced with his head held high. Childish? Of course it was! But that was the normal level of communication between him and his evil sister.

"Of course you will Der. I am sure that you will find your princess and live happily ever after, even if she lives in the cinders as Cinderella did," Laura delivered the cheap shot with a wicked smile. She knew that Katherine had been a sore spot and he had apologized to his family many times over for her attempt at burning down the kingdom.

He had stopped her after all and had paid dearly for his youthful folly of romancing an older woman. Not that he needed to worry about that with Stiles. The young man was loyal to a fault and had high morals. Well, high morals where it counted and he had always poked at Derek and his inner wolf, foolishly and bravely challenging him at every turn. When he had been younger, his human half had hated the young idiot, while the wolf inside panted after him like a bitch in heat. Slowly Derek's human half started to see exactly why the wolf wanted this one human as his mate.

Derek hoped the young man would agree and that his family would accept the young man, because it was him or no one for Derek. "I'll ride to the valley in the morning. Make no announcements, I wish to have the element of surprise on my side," Derek informed his family with his head raised high and his chest puffed out while secretly he thought, 'Give Stiles little chance to run away from us. We need him and he needs us even if he isn't aware of it yet.'

-

While Derek rested fitfully, Stiles had slumbered on in quiet peace in the valley below. He'd had a wonderful time the night before and he had enjoyed dancing with the Prince. It was extremely satisfying to know that the older man could do something other than growl, prowl, and threaten him.

Of course he had hated to run off like he did, but he had a shop to run and he had promised his father that he would be home no later than one o'clock. This had not been an easy feat to accomplish since the castle was many a mile away from his shop and home. Surely his mare had been thankful that the way had been downhill rather than the arduous task of getting up there. Of course, he was supposed to arrive via a coach, but Stiles couldn't be bothered with such extravagance and frippery.

He was a man and could ride his own horse. He was not a damsel who needed protected or pampered from the beast between his legs. Let the young ladies of the valley worry about their outfits and shoes. Stiles would be the one to mend them in the morning and pocket their gold with a cheerful smile and a happy heart.

-

Derek set off with a small contingent of knights, all handpicked and trusted by the young lord beyond question. He trusted them all with his secrets and his life.

"Where to my Lord?" Boyd inquired with laughter tinting his voice.

"Don't call me that. Use 'Alpha' if you must give me a title, but I prefer to think of you three as friends," Derek grumped with a sour frown marring his good looks.

"You're always so grumpy in the mornings Derek. Are you sure we shouldn't wait to go until you are more awake?" Erica questioned seriously. It was an auspicious beginning to a quest for winning a heart.

Derek growled softly before saying "The cobbler will surely be too busy to accommodate us should we wait longer. You know how tetchy the cobbler gets when people interrupt his business."

"I know how testy he is first thing in the morning. I am a friend to his best friend and he is always complaining about the cobbler's temper. Indeed, the first time I went to get my shoe repaired, I arrived well before he was to open and received more than an earful. He required that I sit there and listen to his entire rant as he re-soled my shoes. I only needed one resoled, but he persuaded me to get both done so that I would not bother him sooner than would be required," Isaac informed him with a shudder.

"You make him sound like a beast. He is only a man, you could have easily growled at him to quiet his stories and rants. You simply have to know how to handle him," Derek replied haughtily.

Isaac shook his head sadly. "Yeah, no. He keeps wolfsbane under the counter. I could smell it. He threatened to treat all future shoes with it if I did not shut up my 'yapping lips' and let him do his job. He is one of the few villagers in 'the know' Derek. I beg of thee, tread softly around the young man. His bite is truly worse than his bark."

"I'm well aware of the cobbler's knowledge and temper. Believe it or not, he used to come up to the palace with his father for monthly reports. However, that is neither here nor there. We are going to see the cobbler first. To minimize the cobbler's ire, I will be going in alone. Don't worry, if he barks too loudly I will simply bite him." Derek sniffed the air and turned up his nose. He did not need his minions - er, knights witnessing what he was about to do. They were loyal and he trusted them with his life, but he did not trust them to keep their mouths shut about the goings on in his personal life. The queen could get anyone to open up to her and discuss, read spill their guts, about anything.

The rest of the ride was silent save for the occasional whisper or snicker from the trio of idiots. He sometimes wondered why he had chosen these three fools in knights clothing to receive his bite. Nevertheless, surely they were a better choice than his Uncle's knight, who had gone AWOL the very day he had received the bite.

Though to give the kid a break he wasn't asked beforehand and Talia had thrown her brother out of the kingdom until he had underwent some intense psychotherapy. The man had been given a clean bill of health, mentally; not that it mattered, and Derek still didn't trust the man any farther than he could throw the moon. He felt his uncle was a loose cannon and very unstable. The queen had assured Derek that everything was under control, meaning she had a guard watching Peter at all times.

The sun had just broken the horizon when they arrived at the cobbler's little store. Derek jumped off his stallion and grabbed the slipper from the satchel he had attached. He handed his reins to Boyd and with more courage than he truly felt, rapped loudly on the cobbler's door.

"I swear, if this is not a life or death situation, I will kill whoever is banging at the damned door." Derek heard the cobbler mutter as he made his way to the door.

"Ah, _Prince Derek_, how may this _humble_ servant be of assistance today?" Stiles voiced evenly as he opened the door.

"You can stand aside and let me in. We have some business to discuss," Derek informed him as he straightened himself to full height.

"Are Larry, Moe, and Curly joining us?" Stiles queried blandly when he saw the waiting trio.

Derek did his best not to roll his eyes as he remarked, "My _Knights_ will remain outside while we discuss business."

"Huh, makes them sound more like valets or attendants. Whatever, if you guys are hungry there is food in the kitchen around the back. I will appease our _Lord Prince_ until you can at least get some decent grub in your stomachs. Knowing him, he left before you could even grab a slice of bread and butter this morning," Stiles laughed to the trio.

"Thanks," Boyd rumbled as the trio slowly rode off toward the back of the building.

"So _chatty_. Well, come on in and tell me what you need me for at _ass_ o'clock in the morning," Stiles babbled before he opened the door wide and let Derek in.

"You were at the ball last night," Derek remarked as he entered Stiles work area.

"Very observant," Stiles chattered with a nod of his head.

"I need to see your foot," Derek voiced evenly.

Stiles stopped and stared at Derek with wide eyes. "Well, this is new. Why in the hell do you need my foot?"

Derek pursed his lips and pulled out the jeweled shoe he had picked up the night before.

"What in the holy hell are you doing with Lydia's shoe?" Stiles asked as he backed away from Derek and the shoe he was holding as if it were dynamite.

"Who?" Derek challenged ineloquently.

"Lydia Martin, the Duchess of Versace?" Stiles elaborated.

Derek shook his head sharply. "Duchess of what? What are you talking about?"

"Okay, granted it is a self-imposed title, but everyone knows her. Prince Aiden, of Carverton, recently asked for her hand in marriage. So, I suggest you give the shoe back to her," Stiles explained with wide eyes.

"Look, would you just try on the damned shoe already?" the Prince roared.  
Stiles snorted a small laugh and replied; "Lydia scares me more than you. Plus that is one of my best designs, even she adored it and I will not destroy my work just to satisfy your shoe fetish."

Derek sighed and went over to the covered bench to sit down. "You ran away last night after our dance. I wasn't supposed to know who you were or anything and I grabbed this shoe and vowed to marry whoever fits in the shoe. I want you to fit in the shoe."

"Interesting, however I know for a fact I cannot fit in that shoe and that you cannot marry Lydia Martin. It would cause a war with our neighbors. So, save face and tell your parents that you had to cease the chase of your prey to protect the kingdom. Then you can hold another ball, _after_ Lydia is safely married, and find the woman of your dreams," Stiles remarked softly as he seated himself beside the prince.

Derek looked at the young man flatly. "Did you not hear a word I said?"

Stiles smiled at the prince sadly. "I did, but I am a simple cobbler of a low class. You, my dear prince, are royalty. Your people will require you to claim a bride of noble birth, not some peasant like me. Your knights are all beautiful, you could at least claim one of them."

After the cobbler had spoken, Derek reached out and grabbed his foot, growling in frustration, "Laura is to ascend to the throne so my marriage is unimportant to the kingdom. I do not want some bride to appease the people. I want to follow my heart, I want _you_, and I would rather live as pauper, a baker, or a candlestick maker; than to be a prince and live without you. I want you Stiles. I have for as long as I can remember. Now give me your fucking foot so I can put this damned shoe on you and get married."

"Way to propose," Stiles grunted as he struggled to reclaim his foot.

"I am eloquent when it is required. Right now the only requirement is your cooperation," the elder of the duo preached as he struggled to remove Stiles shoe and stocking. "If you would just sit still and wear this shoe, things would go a lot faster!"

"If I hold still Lydia will kill me! Those shoes cost her fiancé a damned crown. Like really, I took one of his crowns apart to create these shoes and I will not face the wrath of that woman and Prince Aiden just so you can go 'hahaha told you so.' Back the fuck _off!_" Sties yelled as he squirmed and finally won his freedom. Hugging his foot to his chest Stiles glared at the panting werewolf.

"Do you dislike me all that much? I confessed to you, why won't you return my affection?" Derek pleaded as he slumped to the floor.

"I never, not even once, said I disliked you, but I'm not trying on Lydia's shoe. Do you want me to die? Why can't we give Lydia her shoe and -"

"I do not wish to marry her!" Derek growled.

"Good, war is bad for us all! It would destroy my business. Now, give me the shoe so I can return it to her," Stiles stated simply as he held out his hand to the prince.

"Can't you make one that looks as this one does to fit you?" Derek questioned turning on his puppy-dog eyes. Who knew that the grump had it in him to pull a stunt like that?

"Stiles, please, you have to think of something. I cannot go back without you. I refuse to accept anyone else," Derek pleaded.

Stiles held up his finger and went to the door at the back of the shop. "Will you three come here and help me?" Stiles called after the resting knights.

Isaac was the first to enter and let his confusion show at the standoff happening between his Prince and the Cobbler. Erica simply snorted as she entered and Boyd let out a deep and soulful sigh.

"How may we help you Alpha?" Boyd queried, making it clear where his allegiances lie.

"Make your _Alpha_ understand that I will _not_ try on that shoe." Stiles barked with a growl.

Derek smirked and his puppy-dog eyes were quickly replaced with a look of pure evil. "Our Cobbler here will not comply with my simple wish. All I ask is for him to wear this shoe so that I might announce our wedding. Would you three be so kind as to hold him so I can put the slipper on his foot?"

"You evil son of a bitch," Stiles yelped before he made a dash for the empty doorway.

Derek pointed to Boyd and the knight sighed as he reached out and stopped the cobbler from escaping. He did actually look as if he felt a little guilty, probably because Stiles had just fed him breakfast. "Sorry, but I have to obey my Alpha," Boyd spoke solemnly as wrapped his arms around the cobbler's torso and lifted him in the air.

"I cannot even believe that I fed you heathens. Put me down at once!" Stiles squirmed and thrashed in the larger man's arms.

"Isaac, Erica grab his feet. Help Boyd out," Derek instructed as he stood and approached the squirming mass - errr, man.

"RAPE! MURDER!" Stiles screamed and doubled his efforts to escape. "I swear you will all feel my pain and wrath when I fix your shoes next time."

"Please don't, we are not going to rape you, I swear. I would prefer to be beaten to death or walk on coals than to rape someone, or even allow someone to be raped. He just wants to put a shoe on your foot!" Isaac begged looking close to tears.

Derek quickly stuffed Stiles foot into Lydia's shoe and cheered when he managed to make the foot fit into the shoe. "It fits! Release him. Please, marry me cobbler, you truly are the mate of my dreams."

Stiles let out a small wail as he was released and dropped on his ass. He yanked off the shoe and threw it at Derek's head. "NO! You want me to marry you? Court me! Don't come in here and shove a shoe on my foot and expect me to follow you like some lovelorn maiden? Not how it works Prince! And you three, just wait until I set my vengeance upon you."

"What do you mean 'No'?" Derek growled at the fallen man.

"No means no. Even in the language of wolves. You can't expect me to just fall over and say yes simply because you want it to happen," Stiles said as calmly as he could, given the circumstances.

"I courted you- " Derek started weakly.

"No, there was no courting involved. You came in and rammed my foot into my client's shoe, even after I told you not to. You get to explain to Lydia why her shoe is all stretched out." Stiles babbled as the trio of knights paled.

"Lydia Martin?" Boyd challenged gruffly.

"The one and only," Stiles replied with an evil smile.

"Derek, I resign as your knight," Isaac said as he headed toward the door.

Stiles grabbed the were-chicken by the color of his armor and yanked him back to the circle. "No leaving, you take this shoe and explain. You were the one telling me it wasn't rape and that I needed to relax. Well, relax man, grow a pair of balls, and take your prince to face Lydia's wrath. Then, and only then, if your prince wants to court me, properly; he can come back and ask me out on a date. I may say yes, but I promise if Lydia comes after me the answer will be no. Oh, and I am telling Laura. She will not be happy with you Derek. She's been trying to get me to court you for a while now. Why do you think I was at the ball?"

"Because you were invited?" Derek answered with a question cautiously.

Stiles smirked at the Prince's answer. "Yeah, by Laura. See Peter got this crazy idea that you may actually like me and he stopped my invitation from coming. Hell, he even told Talia that I made you angry and should be excluded. When she would not forbid my entry he simply contacted Jackson, who really hates me, but loves you and made sure the invitation never reached me. Laura found out and invited me herself. You, Derek Hale, are an ass and owe me and your sister so much."

"Then why did you run off? That doesn't even make sense!"

"Unlike you, I have an actual business to run. I needed sleep so I could work today. I am sure there are many women who will need their heels repaired," Stiles vocalized honestly.

"So, coming to work is more important than dancing with me?" Derek challenged wincing as he heard the whimper in his own voice.

"Jeez, you are such a baby. I have to think about money Derek. Every day my thoughts are on how to pay the Royal taxes, pay for this building, pay for the food that I need to eat, and the materials to keep me in business. So, yes, coming to work is more important than dancing with my prince. Look, go and make amends to Lydia and then return tomorrow. Perhaps I can make us dinner and you can start properly courting me," Stiles said with a sigh. Really he was a big softy.

"Tomorrow it is then. I look forward to spending time with you," Derek voiced regally. He leaned into Stiles area and gently kissed him on the cheek.

Stiles was looking forward to tomorrow as well. Their beginning might have been rock and some would say auspicious, but he knew that they were going to live happily ever after.

~Fin~


End file.
